Tuesday, December 22, 2015

This has become my new title. It took me nine months to get used to the idea that my oldest college student was going to have a baby. That stuff usually happens to other people. Not my kid, right?

Wrong.

It happens. All the time.

She wanted to keep the baby and so we have. We welcomed my Punkin' Pie on November 5th of 2015. She is precious. Punkin' Pie just kind of evolved from Punkin', since she was born close to Thanksgiving.

When people would ask me if I was excited, I couldn't really be. I'd been through labor twice and neither time was a picnic for me. Had to end up having C-sections both times after being in labor for HOURS. I dreaded my daughter going through the pain of childbirth. I worried about complications, I worried about losing her and having to raise her daughter. I worried about a lot of things.
I also know that worrying about things you can't control is a waste of time. But when it's your kid, sometimes you just can't turn that stuff off.
So when the time came, I was privileged enough to be in the delivery room and watch the whole thing. We breathed and I held my baby up as she pushed hers out. She was a freakin' rock star. Pushed that baby out in 16 minutes. No lie. And she's not a big girl either. She's strong, but small, but made quick work of that 6 pound 2 ounce tiny little thing. Punkin' Pie was born with hair that covered her collar and was jet black. She's lost most of it now, but she still has the row of hair that covers her collar. So cute.

So, what have I learned from having a new born in the house again?
I've learned that when you're close to 50, you don't have the energy to stay up more than one night in a row with a baby that won't go to sleep.
I've learned that staying out of the way and allowing my daughter to be the mom and do all the work is what needs to happen. For both of our sanity sake. Because I raised mine with very little help. I was the one that got up with them every night. Husband worked all the time, so other than holding them and feeding them every once in a while, the child rearing fell on me.
He's much more help with the grand kid, which is awesome. If I try to do everything for her, I'm not doing her any favors. She's learned what works, what doesn't and what her different cries mean.

Now that Punkin' Pie is out and cute and snuggly, I can say how much fun being a Nannie is.
I picked that name since I'm a Goat Posse member. (nannie goat--lol) After getting my daughter through the delivery, I could actually breathe and enjoy the whole Nannie experience.

She's close to 7 weeks now and starting to raise her eyebrows. It's the funniest thing I've ever seen an infant do.
When she smiles at me, my heart just leaps for joy. That is not even an exaggeration.

I think the most important thing that's come out of this is our family is closer. We all have a common goal. Take care of Punkin' Pie. Whether she needs feeding, watching, changing, holding...whatever she needs, one of us is here to do it and to help my daughter if she needs it.

If you ever cringe at the idea of being a grandparent, don't. I did every time somebody mentioned it, until she was born. But now, seeing my daughter be a mom is one of the proudest accomplishments of my life. And I'd hate for any of you to miss that with your kids.

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About Me

I've got a great husband and two daughters, one cheerleader and one with autism. Makes for an interesting dynamic. One day I'd like to travel to Australia and England and then Ireland and Scotland. My email is dobeau@hotmail.com.